Mine
by FireworksBegin
Summary: Aria moves from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Even though the states are aligned, nothing is the same. Aria meets Ezra at a cafe, and they soon start dating  1 day later! . She knows that's he's older, but she doesn't mind. Everything's perfect until an in
1. And Soon Enough You're Best Friends

The best thing that's ever been MINE

Summary: CONTAINS SPOILERS! Aria moves from New Jersey to Pennsylvania. Even though the states are aligned, nothing is the same. Aria meets Ezra at a cafe, and they soon start dating (1 day later!). She knows that's he's older, but she doesn't mind. Everything's perfect until an incident at school causes her to transfer. Unaware of Ezra's employment at her new school, Rosewood High, she continues to see him. Trouble ensues shortly after.

Chapter One:

And soon enough you're best friends

Rosewood's okay, I guess. But their café doesn't compare to New York's. "Maybe in this big blue sky/ I'll find out the reason why/ you left" I hummed quietly. My pen began scribbling new lyrics in my sketch journal. It was an automatic reaction at this point; I didn't even have to bother. Half of my page was already filled. With each idea, I continued to sing in a hush tone. Footsteps clunk beside me. "Hey!" I turned around.. "Um, hey?" I replied. "You do realize I can hear you from over there?" He pointed to his table. Embarrassed, I blushed. "Oh, sorry. I was… just leaving anyway." My purse clung to my side. I scattered to pick up my belongings.

A few steps later, I heard his voice again. "Wait!." My feet did a 180. "You forgot your pen." Story of my life. As I dashed to retrieve it, my foot caught onto a table. Gravity didn't agree with me. Adrenaline pumped through my heart, causing it to beat faster. "Damn it!" Heat flashed to my knee. Gravel and blood trapped their way under my fishnet stockings. Witnesses stared at me. Everything seemed foggy.

"Are you okay?" my acquaintance asked. After a delay from processing the incident, I answered "Yeah, I'm fine. I just feel a little light headed." He gripped my arm as I found my way to my feet. Shaken, my legs began to collapse. "Whoa!" He helped me balance my weight. "You're in no condition to walk. I'll give you a ride to your house." He stated. Being half-dragged and all, I panicked. "Uh, no! I really don't feel like getting kidnapped today so no thanks!" At this point, I was already to the side of his car. He laughed. "Relax. I'm just trying to help. Now where do you live?" I gave him my address, with a warning. "If you're just trying to stalk me, I just texted my friend that a guy is dropping me off to _her_ house. She's expecting me to be there in, like, ten minutes." I buckled myself in. Just in case, I privately uncapped the mace in my purse. About halfway through the car ride, he fueled a conversation. "I'm Ezra, by the way." I considered giving him a fake name, like Juno, but I recognized the view outside the car window, so I had no reason to distrust him. "I'm Aria." Ezra's fingers drummed on his steering wheel while he waited for an SUV to pass.

Now that I thought about it, he wasn't exactly ugly, but rather alluring. Forget it, I'm not _that_ desperate. "What kind of name is Aria?" Excuse me? "What kind of name is Ezra?" He chuckled. "What's so funny?" His smirk slowly disappeared. "I was referring to the origin, but, uh, you seem to be pretty defensive about your name." What ever.

Ezra parked his car in my driveway my "friend's" driveway. "Thank you." I hurried out of his car, slamming the door. Luckily, my knees were stable. I walked to the front door. The paint was still chipping away. My dad always procrastinated on anything related to home improvement, considering the Christmas lights accident. With a twist of a key, I was home.

"Five more minutes." I mumbled. "Aria, someone's at the door." Ella announced. I hopped out of bed. "What? But we just moved here a week ago?" She shrugged. My mom let me be and headed downstairs. I followed her footsteps (literally) until I reached the door. Even from the inside, slabs of green paint dangled like wind chimes. Like a vampire, the striking daylight made me wince. When my eyes started to adjust, I realized who was standing at my door. "Ezra?" I walked barefoot onto the porch. "What are you doing here?" He dodged my question. "You know you have a habit of forgetting things?" Confused, I raised an eyebrow. "Tell me, do you normally carry mace everywhere you go?" He held up the can. My face felt hot. In an attempt to make it vanish, I angrily pried it out of his hands. "Is that all?" I questioned, annoyed. "No, actually. I was thinking maybe this Saturday, we could go to BJ's." I gave him "the evil eye" that my former teacher used to give everyone whenever they mentioned her nose job. "Is that supposed to be funny?" I rested my hands on my hips, suddenly feeling short. "What? It's a restaurant a few miles down the road." "Oh. Well, I can't. I'm not really supposed to date older guys." "What makes you think I'm older?" Trying to be witty I answered, "You drive without having your mom in the backseat. And you look like a fraternity boy." Ezra laughed. "Nope, just graduated." He wrinkled his nose at the thought. "I was never really into the whole sorority thing." Somehow he seduced me into agreeing. In three days, I had a date.

The idea of it was strange. Considering he's 22, which you bet I asked, it felt illegal. I googled it to make sure, but in Pennsylvania, the legal age of consent is somewhere between 16 and 21. I'm 17, so I don't see an issue. Time to choose a dress!

To see the my first draft, or the cover, PM me.

PM=Personal Message


	2. Take a deep breath as you walk

Chapter Two:

Take a deep breath as you walk through the doors

Red: bold, energetic, dangerous, strong, powerful, determined, passionate, forceful, influences one to make a hasty decision, the color of my dress (with, of course, a cropped leather jacket and boots to match!)

"No, it's fine! Your tie does not have to match your car, silly." I reassured. Ezra always seemed to have a funny way of thinking. "Alright, bye. I'll call you later. Bye." My drawer was already cluttered with poems and sketches and organic juices. I laid my cell on my paisley-printed bedspread.. _Why did I say bye twice? _Though we've only blatantly aware of each other's existence for a grand total of four days, it's as though I've known him my entire life, which I guess doesn't really say much. I'm only 17, remember?

"Aria, door!" Mike, my younger troll-of-a-brother called. I was expecting Ezra. Apparently, I shouldn't expect much.

"Um, hello?" My usually cool confidence was drowned by a cold stare. "Are you Ella Montgomery?" Stranger Sally fumed. "Depends, what do you want?" I crossed my arms and hoped my mom won some kind of contest. "12:01 AM. 'I miss you already. Do you want to see a movie Sunday?' 12:02 AM. 'Let's see how Saturday goes first, k?'" Sally, who's real name I'm still at a loss for, read from a screen, the backlight turning her face a cool shade of blue. As the realization hit me, questions ran through my mind. "1:43 AM. 'At Walmart. Wearing a Hannah Montana wig.'" She resumed reading. "Why do you have those?" Rage seeped through my voice. "Look, I'm no happier than you are. But to find out through a text message that my boyfriend is cheating on me with some skank is not ideal." _Wait, I'm a mistress?_

After minutes of staring at anything but Sally, she left. I didn't even know where to begin. If she had my texts that I sent to Ezra and she thinks her boyfriend is cheating on her… Half of me wanted to give Ezra a piece of my mind, but half of me was too chicken. Somehow that piece of my mind thought of a solution. In New Jersey, it was our culture to drink. Bad mood or not, it solved all of our problems.

Luckily, my parents were too busy playing Pictionary to notice my absence. I snuck the keys from the table and put the car in ignition. Apparently there was only one pub located on Map Quest anywhere near Rosewood. The bell chimed as I walked into the Pub. Mr. bartender shot me a look when I claimed a stool. Still, he asked what I wanted. His beard needed a hairnet in my opinion, but I decided on Vodka.

"Hey! Don't I know you from somewhere?" A man who looked twice my age pointed to me. "I don't think so." I answered nonchalantly. "Really? 'Cause you look like someone in Transformers. Megan Fox?" I shook my head sideways. The bartender slid my drink across the table. "Thanks." I mouthed and took a sip. My neck strained as I desperately raided my purse for gum. Gross. Once I found it, I sat there for a few minutes, not willing to drink another sip. Stalling, I put two quarters in the juice box. Breath that stank of beer fanned my neck. I spun around to find the man who compared me to Megan Fox (Is that supposed to be a compliment? She said herself that she looks like a 50-year-old man!). "Wanna dance?" He asked. "Not really." I mumbled and made my way back to my stool. Digging through my wallet, I stood in front of bartender. "Stop. I'll pay for it." I glanced over my shoulder only to see that same bothersome man. His face held a slight smirk as he pulled a five. "I wouldn't want you to overpay." There was something eerie about the way he said it that made me gulp.

I took a breath in, not that it's news. "Now let's dance." He ordered. "Know what? You can take your money back I'd rather jus…" He grabbed my arm and walked towards the juice box. He began to dance, but I resisted. "Let go!… I don't want to…" I fumbled. "What's wrong? It's just a dance." He breathed in my ear. The continents of my open purse poured out onto the floor. I twitched as his hand on my back fell lower and lower. "Hey! Ian, let her go!" a voice yelled. God, can this town get any smaller? Ian dropped his hands and walked a step backwards. I paced a few steps back, in shock. I gasped when Ezra punched Ian. I'd never seen him that angry. Ian fell to the floor. "Get your things." Ezra gave me a stern look. I nodded and proceeded to gather my belongings. Unsure whether to pay the bartender, I stared at him, then walked outside, causing the bells to rattle. Was Ezra there the whole time?

Once again, the bells rattled. Without even turning around, I said "You lied to me." Ezra said nothing. "Did you hear me? Or were you too busy thinking about your girlfri-". It wasn't Ezra that was standing behind me.


End file.
